Out fishing with Annie on his lap, a cigar in one hand and a ginger ale in the other, watching the sunset.

Join Date

Mar 2006

Location

South Florida

My Bikes

Techna Wheelchair and a Sun EZ 3 Recumbent Trike

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Go with something like an old Nishiki Custom Sport from the 70's/early 80's, or a older Raleigh with sports touring geometry. Don't butcher off the cable stops or derailleur hangar, either. You'll have room for nenders, and worst case, you might need to put a long reach brake up front to use 700c wheels, assuming you don't ride brakeless. The steel frame will be easier to fit to a track hub, since they can be compressed or spread, unlike aluminum. Just rust treat the inside of the frame while you have it all apart, and you'll have a nice conversion that'll last you decades.

I ride a 1971 Nishiki Custom Sport and just throw on some Planet Bike clip on fenders for wet or snowy weather.

. “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”- Fredrick Nietzsche

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel Kant

I vote conversion. I have a Fuji Supreme from the 80s that I use as my rain bike. Got it for 5 bucks at a garage sale, slapped some fenders on and a wheelset I had sitting around. There's a little toe overlap, but I can't complain.

edit: And you're not going to be able to easily thrash some old steel bike. They don't make em like they used to.